


The Heartbreak

by CallMeMilady (fairegirl22)



Series: Love Jumps into the Mouth of a Dinosaur [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Everything hurts and I'm sorry, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 15:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12751218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairegirl22/pseuds/CallMeMilady
Summary: Adrien and Marinette learn that soulmates can cause heartbreaks.





	The Heartbreak

Gabriel and Isabelle Agreste were not a typical couple and it wasn’t because they were wealthy and famous. Sure, they stood far from the social class of a typical couple, but what really got Paris whispering wasn’t their wealth, but because they weren’t soulmates. The old money were against their union. It was terribly untraditional considering they believed only soulmates should be married. Others, though, thought it was romantic to choose to love someone you know isn’t your soulmate and have just as meaningful a relationship with them. 

But most accepted it because it wasn’t a terribly unusual occurrence that two people got together because of issues with their timers. Outside of the city’s rich, the century was waking up. After all, why should you prevent someone from being with someone else just because they don’t have proper working timers? They may not get the same fulfilment, but at least they don’t spend their lives lonely. 

Gabriel’s timer never had numbers. His parents were exactly thrilled when he was born without them, but it didn’t become a concern until he finished going through puberty. Baby’s timers don’t always have numbers. Sometimes all one has to do is wait for their soulmate to be born, and then the numbers appear. But by 19, no numbers came into being and hope was lost. It was exceedingly rare that soulmates would have so many years between them, and Gabriel Agrest became one of the uncommon cases of going into the future completely alone. 

Scientists have tried to find the cause behind these cases, but they don’t even know how timers really work. In the end, most studies on timers become hypotheses, never theories. Possible reasons for numberless timers range from the soulmate dying as a fetus to the owner of the numberless timer being unworthy of a soulmate. Certain groups, however, fight back and claim the numberless have a whole soul that doesn’t need another half to complete. 

Isabelle had a slightly more common but still unfortunate timer issue. Her numbers would jump every day or she’d simply not have them for the week. They could be as close as two hours and as far away as eleven years day by day, yet they would never reach zero. 

Until today. 

_My dear, beautiful son Adrien,_

__

_I met my soulmate today. I’ve dreamt of this for so long, looking out towards the next day and the next, wondering if there was anyone truly for me in the world. Every time I looked to my clock, I couldn't help but hope, though I never thought it would happen._

_I never thought I would have to leave you._

_When you were born you helped fill my heart, and I forgot my longing. Adrien, please understand, there is still so much I wish I could have done. You made me so happy, don’t you ever doubt it. I’m so sorry I have to leave you, this isn’t your fault. This is selfish, I know, but this is the first time I've ever felt complete, I must hold onto it as hard as I can. I’d take you with me if I didn’t know your father would have his lawyers take you right back._

_A clean break for the both of us is the best I can give you mon coeur. You deserve a better mother than me, someone who never felt so split apart and could stay with such an amazing, sweet, and kind child. You’ll be better off in Paris, your father loves you and Marinette will help guide you through. They’ll make sure that you are happy, safe and loved. There are so many opportunities your family can give you there that I won’t be able to if I took you with me._

_You’ll also stay close to your own soulmate, my darling, and words cannot express how happy I was to know you found her so early. You never had the uncertainty in life that I had, you know who you’ll spend the rest of your life with and marry. One day when you have children with Marinette, I hope you understand why I had to leave._

_This is not a goodbye, my Angel. I will see you again, maybe in a few years when you graduate. Hopefully that will be enough time for you to forgive me. Please know I love you so much, and I will be thinking about you everyday._

_With Love,_

_Mom_

Adrien’s entire body was numb after he read the letter. He was on autopilot and told Gorilla to take him to Marinette. It didn’t matter if he was supposed to be going to piano, nothing mattered right now. 

Adrien somehow found his way through the bakery and up the stairs, and to the loft to Marinette’s room still clutching the letter.

“Adrien? What happened?” Marinette looked up in surprise and concern as he walked in, “Are you okay?” 

“She’s gone.” Adrien croaked with chapped lips. He could barely get the words out, he couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.

“What?” Marinette put her hand on his shoulder, “Who’s gone? What happened?” 

Adrien slowly turned his head to look at Marinette and began to take in deep breaths. Those breaths quickly turned into hitched breathing as his eyes became watery.“My mom,” he choked.

Marinette froze as her mind whirled with the insinuation that Isabelle was dead, she saw her just the other day. Isabelle was giving her and Adrien the sex talk just last month. She couldn’t be _dead._

Before Marinette could speak, Adrien continued, “She left us. She found her soulmate.” The words felt sour in his mouth. 

“She _left_?” Marinette repeated. Her mind whirled on a different path now, trying to figure out how the woman who was her unofficial second mom could possibly leave so suddenly. 

Adrien’s lip began to tremble. “How could she leave me, Mari? How could my mom-” Tears fell down his face and Marinette pulled him into a hug. Adrien held onto Marinette like a lifeline and let the paper fall down to the ground. He trembled in her arms and she focused herself to comfort and sooth him rather than falling apart with him.

The fallout was terrible. Paris’ rich might have allowed for marriage between non-soulmates (though not without a few whispers), but were scandalized by the (former) Ms. Agreste’s sudden departure in order to pursue her own happiness. Poor, abandoned Adrian, they cooed, while not so discreetly chatting about how terrible Gabriel must have been for her to so easily leave them. Trains out of Paris were quick, and Isabelle’s disappearing act was even quicker. The question that was on everyone’s mind was why did she leave her son like this, why couldn’t she slowly change her life to accommodate her new love but also keep Adrien in her life? 

It felt like an eternity before Adrien fell asleep while crying but in reality it was just a handful of hours. The sun had set and her parents already closed up the bakery and begun making dinner. Marinette walked down the steps when her parents called for dinner and one glance at their tired daughter instantly had them on edge. 

“Honey, what happened?” Sabine asked as she wrapped her arms around Marinette. 

Marinette leaned into her mother’s embrace and let out a shaky breath. “Adrien’s upstairs. He fell asleep crying, I don’t think he’ll be down for dinner.” 

“Crying?” Tom ran his hand down Marinette’s arm in comfort. “What happened?” 

“Isabelle left,” Marinette said in a raspy voice, feeling the tears break the dam that held them back to help Adrien. “Adrien came over because his mom gave him a letter that told him that she met her soulmate.” 

“She just left?” Sabine said, shocked. “She just left Adrien’s life completely?” 

She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea. She knew that there was the possibility that Isabelle would meet her soulmate one day but never imagined that she would desert her child. Sabine had gotten so close to Isabelle over the past decade and they had become great friends - closer really, they were family. And while she was hurt that Isabelle left without even saying goodbye, Sabine was boiling with anger. Isabelle had left everyone, her family, her entire life.

Isabelle so easily cut off ties with everyone to be with a person she barely knew. 

“How dare she?!” Sabine spat out. 

Tom turned red with anger as well after the shock wore off, “She left Adrien and Gabriel?” Tom’s eyes softened as he said their names. “How is Adrien doing?”

“He’s,” Marinette paused trying to find some adjective that could possibly describe how Adrien is doing right now. “He’s sleeping.” 

“I’m going to go visit Gabriel,” Tom said as he went to the door to put on his jacket. It was late at night and usually Sabine would be against the notion of anyone leaving at this time, but tonight she nodded at her husband. 

“I’ll go down to pack some bakery items for you to bring him. His favorites - eclairs and mint macaroons.” Sabine walked to the door and instructed, “Marinette, pull out your turtle mattress and go to bed. We’ll discuss this tomorrow.” 

As the weeks went by, the Dupain-Chengs did their best to help the fractured Agreste family after Isabelle left. Gabriel threw himself into his work, but still made time to have a dinner every other week with the Dupain-Chengs after Tom and Sabine pressured him. He didn’t argue much and even though he became much more reserved and cold, he still cared for his long-time friends. He was glad to have their company and support after his life was uprooted.

Gabriel also focused his energy in his protégé Marinette by cultivating and developing her talent in fashion as well as teaching her the business side of the Agreste Fashion company .

One day she’ll run it, and Adrien would be a proud partner free to study what he wished. 

But that day is far in the future and right now the happy-go-lucky Adrien was gone. In his place was an angry and confused boy who lashed out often. His grades had slipped until Nathalie told Gabriel. 

When his father said, “It is in your best interest to bring them back up,” with a hint of a threat, Adrien begrudgingly brought his grades up again. Because he didn’t want to lose the only parent he had left. He threw himself into his studies, aced all of his classes and excelled in his extracurriculars. Adrien stopped complaining as much during his photo shoots for Agreste Fashion because he wanted to be the perfect son, if he’s perfect than his dad wouldn’t have any reason to leave. 

Every time he saw his dad talking to a woman and they get a little too close for his comfort, his nerves stood on end. Who knew, if he was anything less than perfect then maybe his father would runaway with some stranger, too. He must have not been good enough for his mom to stay, so he has to be sure to do everything he can to keep his dad with him. 

He didn’t get the reaction he wanted from his dad, though. Instead of being pleased, Gabriel became more and more withdrawn and sometimes Adrien looked around his room and felt more like an employee than a son. But at least his dad was still there with him. 

He rarely had one-on-one time with his dad anymore, but at least he got to see him at dinner when they ate with the Dupain-Chengs. But his anger continued to simmer underneath his perfect façade and he found it difficult to go to the Dupain-Cheng household now. He loved them, but the resentful voice in his head took one look at Tom and Sabine, happy and content, and hated them. He couldn’t stomach the sight of such a happy family that came out of a soulmate bond when his family was broken apart from the very same thing. Then, he would feel guilty for feeling so negatively about the two who were easily the second parents, who had helped raise him.But it would take a long time for him to feel comfortable in that house again. 

It's a quiet afterschool day over at the Agreste when Adrien finally decides to share some of the thoughts running in his mind. 

“Why do soulmates exist?” Adrien said lying on his bed while tossing a tennis ball up in the air and catching it. He wasn't sure how long he'd been watching the ball, but by now it must have been hours. 

Marinette was over at his desk, doing homework on the computer. “What?” She turned the chair to look at Adrien, currently scowling at the ceiling. She looked at him with concern, he’d never gone with this line of thought before, or at least he’s never talked to her about it. 

Something like foreboding bloomed in her gut.

In all of her preparations to help Adrien with his feelings about his mom leaving, she wasn’t prepared for that question. 

“Why do soulmates exist?” Adrien repeated, catching the ball and sitting up to look at his soulmate. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have soulmates?” 

Marinette pursed her lips together in apprehension and said nothing. How does she answer a question like that from her own soulmate?

But her lack of response didn’t matter as Adrien pressed forward, “If there were no soulmates, we wouldn’t have to feel obligated to spend our lives with someone that _destiny_ says we’ll be happy with.” 

Marinette’s heart grew heavy, “What are you talking about? Soulmates are two half of a whole, they complete each other.” _We complete each other_. She walked to sit next to him and place her hand on top of his. 

His nose flared and he pulled his hand back out of her reach. “It doesn’t mean that they’ll be happy,” Adrien spat with anger in his eyes. “You hear the stories all the time on the news!” Adrien sees her pale but presses onwards, “You know the ones. Where soulmates cheat on each other or divorce or are so unhappy that they kill themselves.” 

Marinette grinds her teeth. “Adrien.” 

She was telling herself to keep calm because he wasn’t angry with her, he was talking about soulmates in general. Not talking about her. “Those stories are shown all the time because they are a small percentage of soulmates that go wrong. It's sensational news, nothing more. That’s like comparing how many times you swim in the ocean and how often you get bitten by a shark.” 

He paid no attention to her words as he got up and began to walk around his room, seemingly ranting at her. “If soulmates didn’t exist, I would still have happy parents together. They weren’t together because they were soulmates but they chose to be together. Doesn’t having the choice to love someone with your own free will matter?”

Marinette’s eyes filled with hot tears of anger as she walked up to meet him in the middle of the floor. She tried, tried to tell herself that he wasn’t angry with her but he was making her feel like their soulmate bond didn’t matter, that she didn’t matter to him. Standing face to face Marinette still was slightly taller than Adrien by an inch, a thought that previously would’ve made her tease him a few weeks ago before Isabelle left. 

“Destiny makes it easy for us to find the person who is our other half, timers let us know when we will meet our soulmate when we are ready to meet them,” she said it in the most controlled voice she could, but there was still an unintentional waiver of anger. 

“We were two. You’re saying two-year-olds need to know who their other half is?” Adrien sneered. “Two-year-olds aren’t ready for a lifelong dedicated relationship.” He might be shorter than her but his words made her feel like she was two inches tall. 

Marinette’s breath hitched. They were happy to grow up together and she knows he shared the same opinion because they grew up talking about how much they loved it. _Or was it all in her head? What if Adrien didn’t really believe it like she did?_

“Two year olds have to grow up and figure out when they’re supposed to have their first kiss and when they should get together as real soulmates instead of being best friends. Why do soulmates even exist?” Adrien asked. “We grew up thinking we have to end up married to each other one day.”

A tear in Marinette’s eye fell as her lip quivered in hurt. “You don’t mean it.” 

Adrien let out a humourless laugh, “I’m just saying the truth. I wish this whole soulmate thing didn’t exist, I wish I was free to choose who I belong with instead of destiny and society telling me I have to be with you.” His eyes were blazing, his vision was almost red blind with rage towards everything; the whole soulmate thing, his mom, how he had to end up with Marinette just because the stupid timers told him to.

Marinette closed her eyes and took in a deep breath then let it out and when she opened her eyes again her face was unreadable. Something terrible passed over her face for a moment, control breaking enough for a tear to fall down her cheek before she hardened her gaze once again, never acknowledging the streak.

“Fine, if you don’t want a soulmate. You won’t have a soulmate,” she said resolutely and walked out of the room. 

Marinette went to the formal living room because it had the least memories of them growing up. She called Nathalie and told her she wished to go home, so she waited for a driver to show up in front of the house and she walked out with an eery sense of calm. As the car drove away, she saw the light in Adrien’s room turn off and the entire house went dark with the small exception of the lamps by the front doors.

She greeted her parents quietly as she went up to her room and got on her bed desperately clutching the closest softest item in reach, which turned out to be a teddy bear Adrien got her for her birthday when she turned six. It wasn’t until she held the bear in her lap with her knees bent and back against her headboard, that her mask cracked. 

And when it cracked, the dam broke and she began to sob. Her entire body shook as fat tears rolled down her face. She’s never felt worse than in that moment -- her soulmate didn’t want her. She was there for him, she was his friend, she always was there, but _he didn’t want her._

What had she done that made him not want her? She couldn’t understand why this happened, why did Adrien not want her as a soulmate. Why did he hate the idea of them being married one day? They used to joke about details they would want to put in their wedding and pretend to act out how the day would go. 

She wanted Adrien for the rest of her life by her side, but now her soulmate wished he never met her, and that pained her more than anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry don't hate me! I planned on doing two more fluffy and fun works before I did this but so many people were wondering about what happens to them in the future...so I decided to move this up because this part needed to happen before everything else to happen. Tell me what you think, kudos and comments are always appreciated!


End file.
